Early Spring Gardening

Here are our top tips for what to grow and do in your garden Early Spring...

Hardy Annuals

Hardy annuals can be sown in pots to provide colour in the garden. In mild areas with light soil, you can sow directly outside. Modular trays are useful for sowing half-hardy summer bedding plants such as marigolds (Tagetes), Lobelia, and Petunia.

Sweet Peas

Sweet peas can be sown outside this month. Plant out autumn-sown sweet peas that have been raised in pots, and prepare your wigwam supports for them to climb, using a light twine to tie the plants in.

Bulbs

Plant summer-flowering bulbs, if not done already. Prepare the soil first, to ensure that drainage is sufficient to prevent the bulbs rotting.

Perennials

When space becomes available in the greenhouse, pot up cuttings of tender perennials taken last summer and at the beginning of this year. You can still plant herbaceous perennials such as Geranium, Astrantia and Oriental poppies. Check that the plants you buy have strong, green shoots and plant them into well-prepared soil. Plan a continuous crop of cut flowers for this summer. Perennials such as delphiniums and annuals can be grown to produce a useful and beautiful display.

Hanging baskets

Towards the end of the month, in mild areas, you may be able to plant up your hanging baskets for the summer.